The Falcons and Vikings are seemingly headed for a collision course next week when the new league year kicks free agency off.
Kirk Cousins looks to be Atlanta’s top quarterback solution, outside of finding a franchise quarterback in the draft, and Minnesota wants the veteran back. They’re likely the two top suitors for Cousins’ services, and they each have something different to offer.
The Vikings have the best wide receiver in football in Justin Jefferson to go along with a strong skill group of Jordan Addison and TJ Hockenson. Kevin O’Connell is one of the brightest offensive minds in football as well, and Cousins and his family have also lived in Minnesota since 2018.
Similarly, the Falcons have their own impressive core of skill players, headlined by Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts, and Drake London. Zac Robinson has been heralded as an offensive mastermind, but there hasn’t been any proof yet. Atlanta is home to Kirk Cousins’ wife, where her parents still currently reside, and unlike the NFC North, the Falcons’ division is rather wide open.
Each team has a similar amount of cap space. Minnesota has around $38 million, which accounts for the roughly $50 million in dead cap for Kirk Cousins, Danielle Hunter, and Marcus Davenport. The Vikings could reduce that dead money if any of the three are re-signed.
The Falcons have around the same but are expected to part ways with a few other veterans, which could give them a slight advantage in that category. Looking at the big picture, the Falcons don’t have that much better of a situation, and Vikings fans would have an argument if they believed the opposite to be true.
There’s really one way the Falcons can guarantee they get their guy — $$$.
According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the division between Cousins and Minnesota surrounds a fully guaranteed deal. Breer added that structure is important, maybe more than just the money.
If the Falcons desperately want Kirk Cousins, forking over a fully guaranteed contract will seemingly go a long way to bringing him to Atlanta. Obviously, the risk associated with guaranteeing that kind of money to a 36-year-old coming off an Achilles injury is great.
These are things the Falcons will have to weigh, but if Kirk Cousins is indeed their guy, the path to bringing him to Atlanta seems to be clear.
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Photographer: Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire
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